ROUGH ONLINE SESSION WITH CUB ABOUT NEW SINGLE ''DON'T WANNA KNOW'' FEAT CLARA HURTADO FROM THE VOICE

After giving Cub's previous single "Obsessed" a rave review at the end of the summer, ROUGH ONLINE was dying to hear more music from multi-talented Dance producer Cub, who once again has teamed up with new diva on the block Clara Hurtado, one of 2017's strongest contenders from The Voice. Just when Rough thought this collaboration couldn't get any better, the two Synth Pop musicians have recently dropped another hot banger entitled "Don't Wanna Know," so of course...ROUGH thought we'd have a little chat with Cub on how him and his new accomplice work so well together on composing some of the catchiest numbers we've heard all year...

ROUGH ONLINE: First of all, a massive congratulations from everyone at Rough on releasing your second collaborative single with Clara Hurtado. "Don't Wanna Know" is a tune. How did you and Clara meet? How did this collaboration come about?
 
 CUB:  Thank you! I was introduced to Clara by a friend who was working with her shortly before her audition on The Voice. Whilst Clara was on the programme we didn't have a lot of time to work together and she was under contract with ITV for the duration which put a limit on what we could do together. Coincidentally, we actually live only 10 minutes apart and so after the show was over we started to meet for regular sessions with the aim of developing material to release through my record label; In A Box Records!  
 

ROUGH ONLINE: Your new single has current vibes, reminiscent of Chase and Status's 2013 single "Count On Me" and then at times throws you back to 90's Dance music production. Are there any specific Electro acts, past and present which influence your sound?
 
CUB:  I’m psyched you think so! 'Count On Me' is a timeless dance classic, one of my favourites by Chase & Status who have had a huge influence on me. I love the way they combine underground bass music with commercial top lines and undertones of rave. Other producers I look up to include Calvin Harris and Diplo who have both shaped the sound of pop music today. Going even further back, my Dad would have something to say if I didn't give a special mention to Kraftwerk who basically invented electronic music! I should probably give a special mention to my father as well, who is a songwriter himself, with songs published by Sony, Universal and Warner. He's probably my biggest inspiration of all.
 

ROUGH ONLINE: Let's quickly go back in time for a moment, and chat about when you first started making music. When and how do you start producing Dance music?
 
CUB:  As I mentioned previously, my father has been working in the music industry since before I was born. Music was a big part of my upbringing. As a youngster I learned how to play guitar and drums, partly taught by my dad, I also had some lessons. When I arrived at Secondary School, I formed a band with some friends, playing drums and writing songs. I began to record our demos on an old-school BOSS BR-400 8 track digital recorder and this was where my interest in production started! The band split, but I saved up for a mac so I could use Logic and continued to create music throughout college. By 18, I'd begun writing songs for a library music company called LIFT and had my first track published. 18 is the age where you start to become exposed to club culture, going on nights out and I fell in love with dance music. Nowadays I'm so absorbed with what I'm trying to achieve in my own career that I don't find so much time to go to gigs any more, which is a shame. Hopefully I can let myself back into that world soon enough as it's played a huge role in shaping my sound as an artist.
 

ROUGH ONLINE: When and where was your first performance? Were you nervous or dead-excited?
 
CUB:  My first performance was in my school band at a 'battle of the bands' competition. We actually got through to the final of that competition and came 3rd overall which isn't bad for a first attempt! It was a while ago now so I can't quite recall my exact emotions but I was more fearless back then for sure. That's not to say I didn't get nervous, I certainly did! It was much easier being able to hide behind my drum kit though.
 

ROUGH ONLINE: Is there an E.P or L.P in the works? And if so, will there be other music artists featuring on your upcoming tracks as well as Clara?
 
CUB: There isn't currently a CUB E.P or L.P being written unfortunately! There is however a number of new singles in the works with Clara as well as an E.P I've co-written and produced for a debuting artist called Pleasure Trap. I am working on lots of new music and want to work with as many different artists and people as possible. I like to create a variety of different styles and so when I've got a solid idea going I have to be strategic with where to place that song. Some beats go to other artists for their own projects, some are placed with labels and publishers (or used by my own label) and others I keep for myself! I want to make sure I'm ready before working on a bigger project like an album. It's definitely an ambition but right now I am focused on building my audience and reputation within the industry.  
 

ROUGH ONLINE: Do you have a tour coming up to promote the new singles?
 
CUB: There's no tour planned yet, this is likely to happen when I have enough original material to fill a 30 minute set. I also need to have the internal battle as to whether I put together a new band to perform the songs or whether I start with just a DJ set. It will most likely be a combination of the two, depending on the gig however I want the show to be unique and memorable. Something more than just me standing behind some decks, pressing play on my own tunes one after the other